LONDON, KOMPAS.com - Atletico Madrid berhasil mencuri satu poin pada laga pertama semifinal Liga Europa di kandang Arsenal, Kamis (26/4/2018) atau Jumat dini hari WIB.
Pada laga di Stadion Emiraters itu, Atletico sebenarnya tampil timpang sejak menit ke-10 karena Sime Vrsaljko mendapatkan kartu merah. Namun, keunggulan jumlah pemain tak membuat Arsenal bisa memenangi laga.
Sempat unggul terlebih dahulu pada menit ke-61 melalui Alexandre Lacazette, Arsenal harus puas dengan hasil imbang karena Antoine Griezmann bisa mencetak gol penyama kedudukan pada menit ke-82.
(Baca juga: Formasi Pohon Cemara Arsenal Diladeni Formasi Klasik Atletico)
Hasil ini membuat Atletico mendapat keuntungan karena laga kedua semifinal, Kamis (4/5/2018), akan berlangsung di Stadion Wanda Metropolitano.
Pada laga semifinal lain, Olympique Marseille membuka jalan ke partai final setelah menang 2-0 atas RB Salzburg di Stade Velodrome.
Dua gol kemenangan Marseille dicetak oleh Florian Thauvin pada menit ke-15 dan Clinton Njie (63').
Chances for each team to reach #EuropaLeague final based on tonight's first leg results: Olympique de Marseille 83.1%, Atlético Madrid 73.6%, Arsenal 26.4%, Red Bull Salzburg 16.9%
Arsène Wenger was mindful of the pitfalls, the potential for anti-climax, as he put it, in his final home European tie as Arsenal manager. He wants what would be a first European trophy more than anything right now. Would this Europa League semi-final, first leg prove too demanding, particularly against opposition as streetwise as Atlético Madrid?
Happily for him, his players played with verve and personality from the first whistle, pouring everything into the challenge and there were times, especially in the opening period of the first half, when they subjected Atlético to a gruelling examination.
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The team that sit second in La Liga and has established a stellar reputation on the European scene under Diego Simeone were reduced to 10 men after only 10 minutes, following Sime Vrsaljko’s two yellow cards. They were rattled and Simeone was sent to the stands after overheating at the referee, Clément Turpin, in the 13th minute.
Arsenal could not find a goal during their period of ascendency but they broke through on 61 minutes thanks to Alexandre Lacazette. A stirring occasion had lift-off. And yet what Wenger feared most deeply would come to pass. Arsenal failed to put the 10 men away and they would be undermined by a darkly familiar defensive error.
Laurent Koscielny had the position on Antoine Griezmann following a high punt forward but he erred badly and, suddenly, the Atlético striker was in. His first shot was saved and Shkodran Mustafi looked to have taken up a good covering position. But Mustafi slipped, Griezmann scored on the rebound and it was advantage Atlético.
Vrsaljko’s dismissal shaped the tie, setting a combustible tone, and the Croatia right-back was certainly guilty of a rare form of recklessness, even if both of his cautions were defined by the strictest application of the law. The first one was for a lunge on Jack Wilshere, after Vrsaljko had been played into trouble by José Giménez and with that in mind, he ought to have thought twice about stretching into a tackle on Lacazette in a non-threatening area. He did not.
Vrsaljko was late and he trod on the top of Lacazette’s foot. He gave Turpin a decision to make and the referee made it. The notion of a final warning so early in such a big game did not appear to enter Turpin’s thoughts.
Quick guide Arsenal player ratings Show Hide David Ospina Had barely anything to do. Good in possession. Was the only one who did his job on the goal. Unlucky 6 Héctor Bellerín Consistent outlet on the right. Made the visitors work, though delivery could have been better. 6 Shkodran Mustafi The last man between Griezmann and goal, the German fell over. Always looked vulnerable. 4 Laurent Koscelny (c) Had a decent game for the most part, maybe unlucky his clearance came back to him. But still. 5 Nacho Monreal Matched Bellerín for an attacking presence and involved in goal. Also played Griezmann onside. 5 Granit Xhaka The odd half-decent set-piece, but that was about it. Not nearly assertive enough. 4 Aaron Ramsey Could have scored twice from headers, the rest of his game a bit loose. Worked hard. 6 Mesut Özil The only forward who looked anything near sharp, but still did not deliver the end product. 6 Jack Wilshere Assist for the goal, everything else was tidy to the point of inconspicuous. 6 Danny Welbeck Imposed himself initially but ultimately never delivered the quality. Lost the ball for Griezmann’s goal. 5 Alexandre Lacazette Scored with a powerful header but should have had more, especially in the first half. A frustrating night. 6 Ratings by Paul MacInnes
Simeone was incandescent and, moments later, after Héctor Bellerín had hacked at Lucas Hernández, the Atlético manager took his protests too far in demanding censure for the Arsenal right-back. His hackles had also been raised by Mesut Özil appearing to go to ground too easily in a separate incident. Simeone had demanded a yellow card for Özil. Banished to the stands, he paced about the back of the directors’s box – his face a mask of thunder.
The atmosphere had crackled at the outset and Arsenal tore into Atlético. How the scoreline remained level at the interval was a mystery. Arsenal had created a fistful of chances by the midway point of the first half and they were clear ones, too.
Quick guide Atlético Madrid player ratings Show Hide Jan Oblak Two fantastic saves from Lacazette and Ramsay. Everything else looked easy for the Slovenian. 8 Lucas Hernández Came off second best in his duel with Bellerín but held his shape and kept his cool. 6 Diego Godín (c) When Atlético were wobbling Godín stood firm with block after block. He has done this many times before. 8 José María Giménez Followed the lead of his captain. One fantastic stretch to stop Özil, launched the ball for the goal. 7 Sime Vrsaljko Earned two deserved bookings within 10 minutes of a crucial European fixture. Nothing more to say. 2 Thomas Partay Went from midfield to right‑back after Vrsaljko’s departure and acquitted himself well. Assertive. 7 Koke Saw little of the ball but ran his legs off to keep Arsenal from penetrating through the middle. 6 Saúl Ñíguez Another display more about commitment than technical contribution, but that was what was needed 6 Ángel Correa An irritant in the first half, as much for his theatrics as anything, disappeared in the second. 5 Antoine Griezmann Far from his best game, but swung the tie. Willed his way past a wilting defence when it mattered. 7 Kevin Gameiro Struggled to get into the match. Never properly linked up with Griezmann. 5 Subsitutes: Gabi (for Gameiro 65) Calming presence from the old head proved important 7. Fernando Torres (for Griezmann 85) N/A. Savic (for Correa 75) N/A Ratings by Paul MacInnes
Lacazette had two of them before the sending-off. The first was a volley from Danny Welbeck’s cross, which he chopped down and watched it spin up and graze the outside of a post; the second was a header from Nacho Monreal’s centre from which he extended Jan Oblak.
Arsenal poured bodies forward against the 10 men. Welbeck bustled into the area to tee up Aaron Ramsey, whose shot was blocked by Diego Godín; Wilshere headed tamely at Oblak; Welbeck, having exchanged passes with Wilshere, shot at the goalkeeper from a tightish angle and Koscielny, in yards of space after Lacazette flicked on Granit Xhaka’s corner, stretched and sliced wide.
At the time it seemed imperative that Arsenal capitalised on their purple patch, but they did not. Apart from a miscued Monreal volley on 31 minutes, they rather ran out of steam before the interval. Lacazette was also guilty of making too much of a penalty area contact that he initiated in the 23rd minute.
Atlético might have hurt Arsenal in the final part of the first half. Twice Griezmann drew saves out of David Ospina, the second after a powerful run by Thomas Partey.
This Simeone team have proved a difficult nut to crack for many years and they had to rely on all their know-how with 10 men. Partey, the central midfielder, was moved to right-back; Koke came inside from wide midfield and Griezmann switched to the flank. They worked tirelessly to compress the space between the lines. It became a test of Arsenal’s temperament as much as anything else.
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Wenger’s team continued to press in the second half, and they continued to probe, but the gaps they had enjoyed in the frantic opening no longer looked so pronounced. The manager stalked his technical area or rocked forward on the bench. The strain was clear.
The breakthrough goal lanced the tension. Griezmann was guilty of trying to play out from the back and when Monreal tackled him, the home crowd sensed opportunity. Wilshere stood up a cross to the far post and Lacazette, having timed a towering leap, summoned power and direction in his downward header to beat Oblak.
These last days of Arsene Wenger as Arsenal manager were supposed to be scripted as a final crescendo for the club that once nearly conquered Europe but when the tributes were cleared away and the real business started again, the Arsenal of late-era Wenger were just the same as ever.
The Clock End dial was at 9.45pm when Antoine Griezmann scampered towards the home goal, one of the most dangerous attackers in Europe benefiting from a sequence of Arsenal errors that were the undoing of Wenger’s side. They had been playing the ten men of Atletico Madrid for 80 minutes of this Europa League semi-final first leg and were about to concede a goal that would have been embarrassing if they had been facing 11 men.
A great manager is stepping from the stage and next Thursday in Madrid perhaps there will be time for one more stroke of genius when the years are rolled back and Arsenal cut a formidable opponent down to size the way they once could. That is how they would like to say goodbye, with a final in Lyon on May 16 and one last trophy, but to do so they must go to Madrid and atone for the missed opportunities and mistakes of Wenger’s last ever European home tie.
They dominated the game against an Atletico side who were without their full-back Sime Vrsaljko for 80 minutes, and shortly afterwards lost their manager Diego Simeone, sent to the stands for excessive rage and the kind of language that looked offensive even to non-Spanish speakers. With Atletico down to ten men and denied Simeone’s brooding presence on the touchline, Arsenal could only draw and concede an away goal that means they must score next week in the Wanda Metropolitano stadium.
Sementara itu, pelatih Atletico Madrid, Diego Simeone, meminta skuat asuhannya mewaspadai Arsenal. Menurut Simeone, kedua kesebelasan punya ambisi yang sama.
"Kami akan menghadapi lawan yang kuat. Arsenal memiliki sejarah panjang di kompetisi Eropa. Seperti kami, mereka juga ingin melaju ke final," ujar Simeone di situs resmi Atletico Madrid.
"Kami akan bermain di stadion yang luar biasa. Para pendukung Arsenal bakal memberikan dukungan kepada timnya. Kami berada dalam masa terpenting sepanjang musim," imbuhnya.
Arsenal dan Atletico Madrid belum pernah bertemu pada ajang resmi. Namun, keduanya sempat saling berhadapan pada laga uji coba. Saat itu, The Gunners keluar sebagai pemenang dengan skor 2-1.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Petr Cech; Hector Bellerin, Shkodran Mustafi, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal; Aaron Ramsey, Granit Xhaka; Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere, Mesut Ozil; Alexandre Lacazette.
Atletico Madrid (4-4-2): Jan Oblak; Sime Vrsaljko, Stefan Savic, Diego Godin, Lucas Hernandez; Angel Correa, Thomas Partey, Saul Niguez, Koke; Diego Costa, Antoine Griezmann.
